The Waterloo KOA campground has kayaks for rent onsite, and the canal that connects Seneca Lake to Cayuga Lake is wide and deep enough for bigger boats as one passed us on its way to Seneca Lake. There is a lock and dam in the town of Waterloo, and we kayaked to that point from the KOA. A campgound attendant told us the lock can be used by kayaks, and they have ropes for you to hold on to for steadiness while the lock is filled or emptied to get you to the other side. I took a picture of a Blue Heron watching us paddle by from shore. He was still there on our return trip, but standing in the water. Tony spotted our only turtle and I managed to get close enough for pictures. I think it’s a yellow-bellied slider with yellow stripes on the head and a bright yellow plastron (bottom shell) and a highly domed carapace (top shell). I’m not 100% on this, as their range is further south. Could be a released pet turtle which opens up possibilities of identification.

Cool fact: This canal we are kayaking allows boats to travel from either Seneca Lake or Cayuga Lake to the Erie Canal and then ultimately to any coastline in the world. Let’s kayak to Fiji!

We took an afternoon walk around the downtown part of Geneva, and could tell this is the tail end of their tourist season—no crowds. I had to try the wine ice cream, and chose the raspberry Chardonnay, though the ice cream nachos were tempting, too. Wine ice cream is very delicious. We drove to the Three Brothers Wineries and Estates before heading back to our campsite. We only had time to do a tasting in one building, but they have several. There is an overwhelming variety of wine with beer, hard ciders and craft sodas as well. They have a cafe with grab-n-go treats. It was all very nice, and an entire afternoon spent here would be an experience. Put this on the “come back” list!